Sharrows!!

On our way to work this morning, we saw a group of city employees with their big trucks and industrial paint working on College St. As we crossed and realized they were painting sharrows, I (Cody) could not help myself and started cheering and whooping. The gruff gentlemen hard at work at first looked displeased, but I persisted and they laughed. I am a fool, indeed, but so excited am I that I had to go back for a photo. Workers long gone but sharrows here to stay.

FROM JCCOG’s press release:
Johnson County residents and bicycling enthusiasts are invited to join Iowa City Mayor Regenia Bailey on Thursday, July 2nd at 5:15 p.m. in College Green Park to see the most recent improvements to the local bicycle network – shared lane arrows, or “sharrows.”

In an effort to become more bicycle-friendly, some Johnson County communities are installing new sharrow pavement markings and bike lanes on streets this summer. The sharrows, which are an alternative to bike lanes, can be found on 5th Street in Coralville, and on Market, Jefferson, and College Streets in Iowa City, beginning this week. Bike lanes will be painted on segments of Market and Jefferson Streets.

From me:
I’m so glad you whooped and hollered in support! So far, JCOG has gotten primarily negative responses to the sharrows & bike lanes. (WTF?) Encourage supporters to call/e-mail JCCOG and express support & appreciation for these improvements.